


I Can Be Your Hero!

by 18lzytwner



Series: LazyTown First Series [2]
Category: LazyTown
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2005-08-15
Updated: 2005-08-15
Packaged: 2019-06-19 01:02:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 10,465
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15498822
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/18lzytwner/pseuds/18lzytwner
Summary: Stephanie keeps having a scary nightmare and ends up locking herself in her room. She refuses to eat, sleep, or see anyone including Sportacus. Can Sportacus save her from herself or will their relationship suffer?  Songs included are Hero by Enrique and Holding Out for A Hero by Jennifer SaundersAgain - Stephanie is a little older and Sportacus is a little younger.





	1. Chapter 15

Stephanie awoke with a start.  Breathing heavily, sweat running down her face, she tried to shake the nightmare from her mind.  This was the third time this week she had had the same nightmare.  Looking at the clock she realized it was two a.m.  She had to go to school later that morning but she was afraid to go to sleep.  Finally, she made herself go to sleep.  Stephanie had a big final and she had to do well on it.

          The alarm went off at six a.m.  Stephanie got out of bed and shut it off.  Then she picked up the clothes she had laid out the night before and headed to the bathroom.  Once she was dressed she looked at herself in the mirror.  Stephanie had big bags under her eyes and something sticking out of her chin.  Looking more closely she noticed that it was a zit.  _Oh great_ , she thought.  She took care of it and then looked at her calendar.  Only one more week and she would be heading to LazyTown, to visit her Uncle Milford, her friends, and Sportacus.  She had missed him and couldn’t wait to see him.  She had last seen Sportacus two weeks ago when he came to visit her.  Stephanie remembered him hugging her when she met him outside her house.  She was so busy thinking about Sportacus she didn’t notice what time it was.

          Outside the bus was honking its horn.  Stephanie ran downstairs grabbed an apple off the kitchen counter and shouted goodbye to her parents.  She jumped onto the bus and quickly found a seat next to her best friend, Beth.  She and Beth had been friends since kindergarten and now they were finishing their freshman year in high school.  Beth saw that distracted look on Stephanie’s face and snapped her fingers.

          “Is anybody in there?”  Beth asked.

          “Huh?  Oh yeah, I’m sorry Beth.  I just lost track of time this morning.”  Stephanie said, offhandedly biting her apple.

          “You’ve lost track of time three times this week.”  Beth looked at her with a questioningly.  Stephanie shrugged her shoulders and bit her apple again.

          “Is there something going on you’re not telling me?”  Beth prodded.

          “I’m going to visit my Uncle in a week.”  Stephanie said.

          “I know you are.  You’ve gone every year since we were eight.  But you’re fourteen now.  Do you really have to go?”  Beth asked. 

          “Yes, I do.  Besides you’ve been going to summer camp since we were eight.  It’s not like you were home either.”  Stephanie countered. 

          “My parents said since I’m going to be a sophomore next year I don’t have to go to summer camp.  I was hoping that we could do stuff together this summer.”  Beth explained. 

          “Well I can’t get out of visiting my Uncle.  Why don’t you come with me?  I could introduce you to my other friends.  We would have so much fun.  Please?”  Stephanie begged her.

          “I’ll need to ask my parents.  Sounds like it could be fun.”  Beth said. 

          “I’ll make sure its ok with my Uncle and call you tonight.”  Stephanie promised.  The bus arrived at school and the two headed for their final exam together. 

Stephanie stared at the questions on the page.  They didn’t seem to make much sense to her.  The teacher saw the confused look on her face and came over to her.

“Is everything all right, Stephanie?”  He asked.

“Um, I guess so.  Thanks for asking.”  She replied.

“Ok, as long as you’re sure.”  The teacher told her.  He left and Stephanie tried to focus.  She realized she only had an hour and a half to finish.  _Good thing its multiple choice_ , she thought.  Stephanie went back through every question.  She answered most of them to the best of her ability and the rest she guessed.  The bell rang signaling everyone to put their pencils down.  The teacher told them that time was up and that they should pass up their answer sheets followed by the test packet.  Stephanie passed her papers up and then once the papers were all collected the teacher told them they could leave.

Beth and Stephanie caught up once they got out of the exam.  Beth said she thought it was easy, while Stephanie just made a face. 

“Is everything ok?  I saw the teacher come over to you and you hadn’t even raised your hand.”  Beth sounded concerned.

“Oh yeah, I just was having a problem with some of the questions.  I guess I must have made a funny face or something.”  Stephanie replied.  They had now reached the front of the school and boarded the bus. 

On the bus, the two talked about going to LazyTown together.  Beth sounded excited and Stephanie was happy.  Finally the bus pulled up in front of Beth’s house and Beth promised to ask her parents about the trip as she got off.  Stephanie spent the rest of the ride to her house staring out the window thinking about Sportacus.  Then realizing it was her stop she hopped off the bus and went inside her house. 


	2. Chapter 2

Stephanie was in a good mood as she packed her suitcase.  Then she heard the phone ring downstairs.  Running downstairs, she quickly picked it up before the message machine kicked in. 

          “Hello, this is Stephanie.” 

          “Hi, Steph, it’s me Shebs.”  A dejected voice came over the phone.  Stephanie knew two things right off the bat.  Whenever Beth called her Steph instead of Stephanie it meant something was up.  The other was when she called herself ‘Shebs’.  That was Stephanie’s nickname for her.  They had made it up when there was another Beth on the soccer team.  It meant things were very bad. 

          “What’s wrong, Beth?”  Stephanie asked.

          “My parents say I can’t go to LazyTown with you.  They decided that we were going to spend this summer visiting my relatives.”  Beth told her.

          “All summer?”  Stephanie asked in disbelief.

          “Yeah, first we’re going to Virginia for two weeks, then Ohio for two weeks, and then Connecticut for two weeks.  I don’t want to go and the worst part is we are driving to those places.  DO YOU KNOW HOW LONG IT TAKES TO DRIVE TO CONNECTICUT FROM OHIO?!”  Beth exploded.  Stephanie rubbed her ear after catching that last bit at full volume. 

          “Yes, well you should look at the positives.  Like…” 

          “Like what?  Being stuck in the minivan with my two younger sisters for the 10 hour ride to Virginia or the 7 hour ride to Ohio or the 14 hour ride to Connecticut, I see no positives in there.”  Beth said sarcastically.

          “Well, I’ll give you my Uncle’s address and then you can mail me letters on how things are going.  You give me the addresses of your cousins and I’ll send letters back.  What about that?”  Stephanie suggested.  Beth agreed to this and the two exchanged information.  After saying goodbye, Stephanie hung up and went back upstairs.

          For some reason she felt better that Beth couldn’t go.  That meant she wouldn’t have to explain her and Sportacus.  Stephanie continued to pack as her thoughts floated back to Sportacus.  She remembered that night up in his airship after his ribs had healed.  She had fallen asleep and he just held her all night.  She then remembered how upset Uncle Milford was when he couldn’t find her the next morning.  Stephanie giggled to herself as she remembered Sportacus trying to explain that to Uncle Milford.  The clock chimed downstairs and she realized it was three o’clock in the afternoon. 

          Quickly Stephanie grabbed her soccer bag and headed to the park.  The park was only down the street and her soccer game started at 3:15.  She reached the park and hurriedly put on her shin guards, pink soccer socks, and pink cleats.  Then slipping her pink goalie jersey over her head she walked over to the rest of the team.  Beth smiled at her as the coach explained the game plan. 

          “Today’s game is one of the most important you will ever play.”  The coach started.  “If we win today, we will play in the championship game two days from now.  The game starts in five minutes.  Good luck ladies.”  Coach Alexander finished.  “Stephanie, come here please.”  Stephanie was nervous as she walked over to Coach Alexander.

          “What’s up, Coach?”  Stephanie asked.

          “I know you only live down the street but when I wanted everyone here for three o’clock and you waltz in at ten after three, it tends to tell me that you aren’t being serious about today’s game.  Now I kept you on this team because out of three other goalies you were the best but if you aren’t taking things seriously, then I will start your back up instead of you.”  Coach Alexander scolded her. 

          “I’m sorry Coach.  I lost track of time.  I promise this game is the only thing on my mind.  I won’t be late ever again.”  Stephanie apologized.

          “Good, I would hate to not have you next year.”  The coach said as the teams were called to mid-field.  The referees went over the rules and checked the equipment.  Then the teams went to their respective benches.  Coach Alexander called out the starting line up.  The players took the field and the game began.       


	3. Chapter 3

By halftime the game was still tied at zero.  Stephanie was tired.  She was going on about four hours of sleep because of that nightmare she kept having.  Coach Alexander said that he recorded twenty shots so far that Stephanie had stopped.  For soccer that was a pretty busy half. 

          Stephanie swigged some water and tried to stretch some more.  Beth sat down on the bench.  Her legs were killing her.  As a fullback (defender), she had been helping Stephanie with deflected balls and keeping the other team from taking shots.  Stephanie walked over to her and sat next to her.

          “Thanks for helping so much.  I think the last 45 minutes are going to be brutal.”  Stephanie said.

          “Just hope it doesn’t come to penalty shots.”  Beth said.  Coach Alexander called everyone over.  He made a few substitutions in the lineup and then the whistle blew signaling that halftime was over.  Everyone took their positions on the field.  The whistle blew again and the ball went flying through the air.

          There was only ten minutes left in the game.  There was still no score and Stephanie felt like she was about to drop dead.  Then she saw one of the halfbacks (midfielder) from the other team charging at the defense.  She made a quick move and surged past the defenders.  Stephanie was all alone.  She yelled at her teammates for assistance.  The defensemen tried to get back but they were too far behind the charging halfback.

          Stephanie came out of the net to cut the halfback’s angle for a good shot.  Seeing this, the halfback tried to correct and move over.  Stephanie followed her and the halfback kicked the ball.  The ball sailed toward Stephanie.  She put her hands up to block the ball but all she got was a face full of it instead.  Stephanie fell back and lay on the ground. 

The officials blew the whistle.  Coach Alexander rushed out onto the field.  Stephanie just lay there.

          “Stephanie can you hear me?”  Coach Alexander asked.  At first, he got no response.  Then slowly Stephanie’s eyes opened. 

          “Sportacus?”  She murmured. 

          “What was that, Stephanie?”  Coach Alexander asked.  He helped her sit up. 

          “Did I stop the ball?”  Stephanie asked.  The coach laughed.

          “Yeah, you did.  Come on.  Let’s get you over to the bench.”  He smiled.  There one of the parents, who was a paramedic, checked Stephanie out.  Satisfied she didn’t have a concussion, he said that Stephanie could play again.  At the next substitution, Stephanie went in.

          There was only three minutes left and Stephanie’s team was charging down the sidelines.  Beth passed the ball up the field.  The forward took it and ran with it.  Then she passed it to the other forward.  That forward took a shot and SCORED! 

          Stephanie jumped up in the air and shouted.  Beth came over and they hugged.  The whole team celebrated as the officials marked the score and brought the ball back to midfield.  The ball was kicked off and now the other team was upset.  They came charging toward Stephanie and the net.  Both Stephanie and the defense kept the other team from scoring and when the final whistle blew two minutes later.  The whole team celebrated.  They were going to the championship game in two days!


	4. Chapter 4

Coach Alexander treated the team to ice cream and told them to meet for the game by two o’clock.  The championship game started at three and he wanted everyone to be stretched, warmed up, and ready to go.  Beth’s mom picked Stephanie and Beth up from the ice cream shop and took Stephanie home.  She congratulated them on their win today and Stephanie thanked her for the ride. 

          Stephanie got into the house and threw her soccer bag on the floor.  Her parents were in the living room. 

          “What a great game today, honey!  How’s you’re head?”  Her mom asked concerned. 

          “I’m fine.  You guys will be at the championship game in two days right?”  Stephanie asked.  Her parents said yes and suggested she get some sleep.  It had been a long day and Stephanie didn’t argue.  Taking her dirty clothes downstairs she flung them into the washer and then headed for bed. 

          Stephanie took a shower, put on her pajamas, and crawled into bed.  Her body hurt and she was exhausted from the lack of sleep.  She hoped to go to sleep and not have that awful nightmare again.  As soon as her head hit the pillow she drifted off into a deep sleep.

          Today was the day of the championship game.  Stephanie hadn’t had the nightmare for two nights and was confident that she finally got it out of her system.  She showed up at two o’clock like Coach Alexander wanted.  He could see Stephanie was more alert than a few days ago and told Beth to help Stephanie warm up. 

          Soon the game started.  Stephanie realized that tomorrow she would be headed to LazyTown and was excited.  She focused on the game and how she would tell Sportacus how her team won the game.  _Whoa, I’m getting a little ahead of myself,_ she thought.  

          Stephanie’s team scored their first goal only ten minutes into the game.  But the other team answered right back five minutes later when Stephanie missed the ball by a few inches.  At halftime they were still tied at one apiece. 

          Coach Alexander told his team that they could beat these guys if they scored one more goal.  The team was nervous and they wanted to win the Champion’s Cup.  The whistle blew and everyone took their positions. 

          The next forty-five minutes both teams played their hearts out but no one scored.  When the final whistle blew, both teams went to midfield.  The officials explained that the game would have a thirty minute overtime in which the first to score won the game.  In the event no one scored then each team would have five penalty shots and the team with the most goals scored during the penalty shots would win.        

          Overtime failed to determine a winner and Coach Alexander picked out the five best scorers to kick the penalty shots.  Stephanie tried to focus and make sure she was loose.  She hated penalty shots.  All goalies do.  The scoring rate for penalty shots is almost one hundred percent.  Coach Alexander came over and asked Stephanie if she was ready.

          “Ready as I’ll ever be Coach.”  Stephanie replied.   

Stephanie’s team had the first shot.  They scored and now it was Stephanie’s turn in the net.  Unfortunately, the other team scored on a well placed shot to the corner.  Back and forth they went until both teams only had one scorer left.  With the penalty shots tied at four apiece, someone had to miss or there would be more penalty shots.  Stephanie’s team scored and Stephanie replaced the other goalie in the net.

          Sweat beaded up on Stephanie’s forehead.  She had to block this shot.  The player from the other team lined up for the shot.  Stephanie cleared her mind and focused on the player’s body movement.  The player looked as though she was going to aim for the top left corner or that was where her eyes were looking.  Carefully Stephanie watched her every movement and the whistle blew the girl hauled her leg back and let the ball have it.    


	5. Chapter 5

Stephanie watched the ball as it sailed toward her.  She jumped and her hands hit the ball.  It flew over the net and Stephanie landed on the ground.  Her team stormed the field.  They had won the championship game!  The team picked Stephanie up on their shoulders and carried her to the sidelines.  The officials came over and gave the Champion’s Cup to them.  Then the fans stormed over to the team and they all celebrated. 

          Later that night when Stephanie and her parents got home, they talked about the game and what was going to happen tomorrow.  Stephanie’s train would leave the station at seven a.m.  Which meant Stephanie would have to be at the train station by 6:30.  Stephanie’s dad brought her suitcases down for her and Stephanie went upstairs.  She showered, put her pajamas on, and went to bed. 

          Stephanie slept fitfully all night.  Every time she closed her eyes the nightmare would resurface.  Finally her alarm went off at 5 a.m.  Getting out of bed slowly she smacked her alarm.  It shut off and she picked up her clothes and got into the shower.  Once she was dressed, Stephanie went downstairs.  She sank her teeth into an apple she picked up out of the basket on the counter.  Her father and mother came downstairs and put her suitcases into the car.  Then they all piled into the car and headed for the train station.

          Stephanie had barely said a word all morning.  Her parents were worried but she wouldn’t talk about it.  Finally they arrived at the train station and Stephanie’s dad grabbed her suitcases out of the trunk.  A short while later Stephanie boarded the train and said goodbye to her parents. 

          She would arrive in LazyTown around three o’clock.  Sportacus would pick her up and take her to Uncle Milford’s house.  Around two o’clock, Stephanie perked up at the sign that passed by her window.  The sign read:  “LazyTown 50 miles”.  She began to think about Sportacus again and how she had missed him.  She wanted to talk to him about the nightmare she kept having.  Up until that point no one knew why Stephanie had been looking so worn out and half asleep.

          Stephanie thought once again about the night she finally admitted to him her feelings.  She also thought about the four weeks they spent together as he healed from his injuries and the night they sang their special song together.  Stephanie hoped this summer would be full of fun and excitement. 

          Robbie Rotten looked at his calendar.  Realizing what day it was he made a face and said, “Yuck!  That pink haired Stephanie will be here soon.  What am I going to do?”  Robbie was still upset with Stephanie and Sportacus from the last time.  He didn’t enjoy the jail food or the 200 hours of community service.  However, he hadn’t come up with a plan yet.  Then he got an idea.

          Sportacus was waiting anxiously at the train station.  It was almost three o’clock and he had been staring at his watch every minute or so to see if Stephanie was almost here.  Then he heard the train whistle.  He leapt over to the platform.  

          Stephanie grabbed her suitcases and climbed down the train steps.  At seeing Sportacus, her heart leapt.  He ran over and went for her suitcases.  Stephanie stopped him.  Grabbing his face she pulled him down to hers.  She stared at his Icelandic baby blues and he stared back into her dark brown eyes.  Then she kissed him.  Everything seemed to disappear as he kissed her back.  When they pulled away from each other, she hugged him. 

          “I’ve missed you so much.”  Stephanie said.

          “I missed you too Stephanie.”  He smiled.  Sportacus then picked up her luggage and the two headed for Uncle Milford’s house.

          Robbie saw the two of them through his periscope.  He stuck out his tongue and made a face.  “Disgusting!  She’s only been here 5 minutes and the two of them are…  Yuck!”  Robbie said to no one in particular.  “My plan to break those two up had better work!  I’m sick of seeing them so close!”               


	6. Chapter 6

Stephanie told Sportacus about the championship game.  The two talked excitedly the entire walk to Uncle Milford’s.  When they got there Sportacus took her luggage up to her room.  Stephanie hugged her Uncle and they talked about what was on tap for the rest of the day.

          Sportacus came back downstairs and Stephanie told him that her Uncle didn’t have any plans.  The two left the house and bumped into Pixel. 

          “What’s up Pixel?”  Stephanie asked. 

          “Hi, Stephanie!  How was the train ride?”  Pixel asked.  Stephanie told him the train ride was ok and that she was glad to be back in LazyTown.  Pixel said he had some work to do on his latest invention, so he said goodbye, leaving Sportacus and Stephanie alone. 

          “So what do you want to do?”  Sportacus asked. 

          “This.”  Was all Stephanie said as she kissed him.  Sportacus smiled and said, “I meant something else.” 

          Just then Ziggy and Stingy rounded the corner.  They saw Stephanie and Sportacus and came over to them.

          “Hey guys you wanna play?”  Ziggy asked. 

          “Sure what do you want to play?”  Sportacus asked. 

          “How about some baseball?”  Stingy asked.  They all agreed that would be fun and Sportacus called for his equipment from his airship while the kids grabbed their stuff.  The four of them enjoyed playing the rest of the afternoon until Stingy and Ziggy said that they had to go home for dinner.   

          Sportacus walked Stephanie back to the Mayor’s house. 

          “I’ll see you tomorrow.  Have a good night.”  Sportacus told Stephanie.

          “I will.  See you tomorrow Sportacus.”  She sighed.  Sportacus leaned down and kissed her on the cheek.  Stephanie smiled and entered her Uncle’s house.  She and Uncle Milford had dinner together.  Then Stephanie wrote in her diary about her day.  When it was time to go to sleep, Stephanie didn’t want to.  She was afraid of that nightmare.  _Sportacus wouldn’t be scared_ , she thought.  With that comforting thought she fell asleep.  

          Later that night bloodcurdling screams racked the stillness of LazyTown.  They were those screams that came from deep inside someone’s soul.  Finally they stopped and LazyTown was once again silent.

          Sportacus’ crystal went off and he awoke completely confused.  He looked at the clock.  It was two in the morning.  He looked into his crystal but nothing came into view.  Jumping out of bed he flew his airship toward LazyTown.  _What could possibly going on now at this hour?_   Sportacus asked himself. 

          Stephanie sat up in bed.  The scream that had just escaped her lips was one she never thought possible.  The nightmare had once again come to her but this time it was different.  As before, she was being chased by a dinosaur.  That night, though six years ago, had scared her.  She was able to put it from her mind but when she watched “Jurassic Park” it brought everything back.  Since then she hadn’t been able to get rid of that nightmare.  Always before though she had woken up before the dinosaur caught her.  Tonight, the dinosaur did catch her.  What she saw had terrified her.  The dinosaur pulled off his head to reveal his true identity.   

          Sportacus jumped off his ladder and his crystal continued to beep.  Looking into it this time he saw Stephanie.  _Oh no_ , he thought to himself.  Quickly he flipped repeatedly to the Mayor’s house.  As he approached the house he noticed that all the lights were on. 

          The Mayor saw Sportacus coming and opened the front door.  He looked nervous, worried, and confused all at the same time. 

          “Sportacus you must hurry.  Stephanie’s door is locked and I can’t get into her room.  She was screaming and screaming and finally she just stopped.  She won’t answer me when I ask if she’s all right.”  Mayor Meanswell quivered as he spoke.  Sportacus ran upstairs and knocked on Stephanie’s door. 

          “Stephanie it’s me, Sportacus.  Please open the door.”  There was no response from the other side of the door.  Then he remembered Stephanie telling him about the trellis outside her window.  Sportacus didn’t want to break the door down so he ran downstairs, out the door, and into the backyard.  He began to climb the trellis to Stephanie’s window.  Arriving at the window Sportacus tried to squeeze his big shoulders into the small window.  The entire time he was struggling Stephanie just sat there.

          Stephanie was just sitting on her bed.  Her knees were curled up to her chest and she was a white as a sheet.  She didn’t seem to notice Sportacus struggling in her window.  Stephanie just stared off into space.             

          Sportacus managed to squeeze through the window and he rushed to Stephanie’s side. 

          “Stephanie, are you ok?”  Sportacus put his arms around her.  She pulled away from him and a look of fear crossed her ashen face.  Sportacus had never seen her like this.  It scared him to see her react that way. 

          “Stephanie it’s me Sportacus.  What’s wrong?”  He asked her.

          “Get away from me!”  Stephanie shouted.  Taken aback a look of shock crossed Sportacus’ face. 

          “But Stephanie…” he started.

          “Leave me alone!”  Stephanie shouted again.  Sportacus went over to the door opened it and left.      


	7. Chapter 7

Sportacus walked by Mayor Meanswell without saying a word.  The Mayor asked him what happened and he didn’t respond.  Sportacus just left the house and sat outside on the nearest park bench. 

          Mayor Meanswell walked into Stephanie’s room but got the same response Sportacus did.  Confused Milford just went to his bedroom and closed the door.  His emotions ran away with him and Milford began to cry.

          Stephanie just sat in her little ball.  She had just reacted without thinking.  She began to shake and shiver.  The image of the dinosaur removing his head was still fresh in her mind.  A million thoughts rushed through her head.  _Why would he do that?  What do I do to deserve such betrayal?_

          Sportacus was sitting on the bench, which was not normal for him.  But he had no idea how to react after what had just happened.  He loved Stephanie and hated to see her in pain but something inside of her snapped.  Did she really love him back?  Why did she want him to leave her alone?  What happened to her that would make her react that way?  With no answers to these questions Sportacus put his head in his hands. 

          The sun came up on what would’ve been a beautiful day.  Sportacus had been sitting on that bench for four hours and hadn’t moved a muscle.  Uncle Milford had stopped crying and eventually fallen asleep.  Stephanie was still sitting in her ball on her bed.  The rest of LazyTown awoke to what they thought would be a normal day.

          Trixie knocked on Mayor Meanswell’s front door.  When no one answered she walked over to the windows and saw no one in the kitchen or living room.  Trixie then turned and walked past Sportacus sitting on the park bench.  She did a double take.  _Sportacus sitting on a bench?_  

          “Sportacus are you ok?”  Trixie asked concerned.  Sportacus looked up at her.  She could tell by the look on his face he was very close to breaking down.  Sportacus shook his head and Trixie sat down next to him. 

          “What’s wrong, Sportacus?  You don’t just sit down.”  Trixie asked him.  Sportacus wanted to tell her but didn’t want to upset her.  Just then Mayor Meanswell rushed up to them. 

          “Sportacus we need to talk.  Come quickly.”  He said.  Sportacus excused himself and joined the Mayor. 

          “Stephanie hasn’t moved all night.  She is just sitting there on her bed in a ball.  I heard her say ‘How could he do this to me?  I thought he loved me’.  What was she talking about?”  Mayor Meanswell asked.  Stephanie and Sportacus hadn’t told anyone about them and as far as he knew no one else knew about them.  Sportacus couldn’t remember hurting Stephanie but to the Mayor he said, “I don’t know what she was talking about.” 

          Robbie watched from below.  A giant smirk crossed his face.  The damage had been done without him doing anything.  Robbie did his little dance as he watched things fall apart.  “Sportakook and that pink cheerleader are through.  He must have done something to her.  Why else would she say what she did?  Now is there anything I can do to make it worse?”  Robbie went back to his periscope to see what was happening. 

          Sportacus went back to the Mayor’s house and climbed the stairs.  When he arrived at Stephanie’s door he knocked on it and asked Stephanie to please open up.  She responded, “I can’t believe you did this to me!”

          “Stephanie what are you talking about?  Please tell me what’s going on.”  Sportacus tried to get her to open up.  Stephanie refused to answer.  Frustrated and confused Sportacus sat down outside Stephanie’s room. 

          Stephanie heard him plunk down.  She was tired and her body screamed to let her sleep.  But she feared to close her eyes.  Finally after three more hours she fell asleep. 


	8. Chapter 8

It was two o’clock when Sportacus heard a soft noise through Stephanie’s door.  The noise sounded like Stephanie crying. 

“Stephanie, please let me in.  I want to talk to you.”  Sportacus tried for about the three-thousandth time.  And for the three-thousandth time she didn’t let him in. 

Stephanie hadn’t opened the door and he hadn’t moved from his spot for almost three days.  Mayor Meanswell had been putting food through Stephanie’s window.  They had tried to get Stephanie to come out but they couldn’t.  She wouldn’t let anyone touch her and from the looks of things she hadn’t been sleeping very much.  Every time she did she would wake up screaming.  Sportacus was at the end of his rope.  The kids had tried to get him to come out and play but he wouldn’t leave Stephanie’s door.

Now that she was crying, Sportacus wanted to hold her in his arms.  To tell her everything was going to be all right.  But she wouldn’t let him; she wouldn’t even tell him what was wrong.  What had she meant by ‘How could he do this to me?  I thought he loved me’?  He couldn’t for the life of him figure out what she meant.   

          Stephanie cried and cried.  She wanted to get rid of that image of Sportacus taking off that dinosaur head but she couldn’t.  Why would he be wearing the one thing she told him had frightened her?  Why would he chase her?

          Sportacus couldn’t take sitting down anymore though emotions were all in a jumble.  He stood up and went downstairs.  Then he went around to the back yard.  Sportacus started to climb the trellis.  He was going to get some answers from her. 

          Stephanie heard someone climbing the trellis.  She was too physically, emotionally, and mentally drained to do anything about it.  Wiping the tears from her face she relaxed her legs and stretched them out.

          Sportacus squeezed in the window.  Stephanie gave him a look but he couldn’t quite figure out what look it was.  Slowly he sat on the end of her bed.  When she didn’t flinch he shuffled closer to her.  Finally he had shuffled until he was at her knees.  Then he stretched out his hand toward her.  This however did make her flinch.  Cautiously, Sportacus shuffled until he was near her waist.  Then Stephanie sat up and stared at him.

          “Why?”  Was all she said.

          “Why what, Stephanie?  What happened to you?  Why are you acting like this?”  Sportacus said showing his concern.  Stephanie hesitated to answer.

          “Please tell me what is going on?  Why can’t you sleep?  Why won’t you let me hold you?”  Sportacus kept barraging questions at her.  Stephanie looked at him.  Sportacus looked at her and focused his attention to her dark brown eyes.  Her eyes weren’t showing a clear picture of what she was feeling.  Finally Stephanie opened her mouth, “I have been having a horrible nightmare.”  Sportacus waited for more but none came. 

          “Stephanie you can tell me anything.  You know that.”  Sportacus said moving a little closer to her.  This time Stephanie didn’t move. 

          “It was you who was in my nightmare.  I was being chased by a dinosaur and I would always wake up before it caught me.  That is up until a few nights ago when it caught me.  The dinosaur removed his head and it was you inside the costume.”  Stephanie spilled.  Sportacus didn’t know what to say at this point. 

          “What does it mean, Sportacus?”  Stephanie asked.  Sportacus wasn’t sure what it meant. 

          “This is all my fault.  I never should have…”  He didn’t finish.  Instead he got up and began to do pushups.  They helped him think but it made Stephanie nervous.

          “Sportacus!  Stop that at talk to me!  You never should have what?”  Stephanie shouted at him.  Sportacus stopped, got up, and looked lovingly at Stephanie.  Suddenly without another word, he ran from the room.

          Stephanie followed him but soon was out distanced.  Exhausted she collapsed on the nearest park bench.  She buried her head in her hands and cried.

          Robbie watched as Stephanie cried and Sportacus ran away.  Laughing to himself, he went over to his costume tubes.  Now it was time to put his plan into action.   


	9. Chapter 9

Robbie went to the first tube and saw his pirate costume.  “Too shippey” he said.  The next tube had his cowboy costume.  “Too horsey” he said.  The third tube held his baseball uniform.  “Too batty” he said.  Finally in the fourth tube he found what he wanted. 

          Robbie opened the hatch to get out of his house.  He was struggling but finally he got it open.  “Whew!”  He exclaimed wiping the sweat off his brow.  Then he grabbed the ladder and climbed down.  Well he sort of climbed down.  Robbie slipped on the second step, made a high-pitched little girl scream, and fell down.  Looking around to make sure no one saw he said, “I meant to do that.”  The sun was setting as Robbie started toward the center of town.

          Stephanie didn’t realize the sun was setting.  She was too busy crying.  Confused about Sportacus’ reaction she didn’t know what to do or say.  Stephanie also didn’t see the strange figure creeping up behind her. 

          Robbie, dressed in his dinosaur costume, jumped from behind the park bench.  Stephanie was scared out of her wits.  She tried to run away but she was tired as it was and didn’t make it away from Robbie in time.  Robbie grabbed her.  She tried to kick and scream but Robbie covered her mouth up and flung her over his shoulder.  _Boy, she is heavy.  How does Sportastupid carry her all the time?_   He thought to himself. 

          Robbie carried her to the nearest mailbox and dumped her in it.  Quickly he hit a button on the back of the mailbox and Stephanie was sucked out of the mailbox.  Then Robbie went back to his hideout.

          Sportacus was back in his airship when his crystal went off but he ignored it.  He was working out and trying to sort everything out that had happened in the past couple of days.  The crystal went off again.  Frustrated Sportacus took it off and threw it on the floor.  But that didn’t stop it from making a racket.  Finally he picked it up and stared into it.  He saw nothing and went out on his viewing platform.  Using his telescope he looked around but he saw nothing. 

          Stephanie looked around her surroundings.  She didn’t recognize where she was.  Her body was screaming for a break but she couldn’t give up just yet.  Stephanie hoped that Sportacus would come save her.  But would he after what she told him?

          Seeing nothing just made Sportacus angrier.  But his crystal wouldn’t stop beeping.  He put it back into its holder and left his airship.

          Robbie smirked as he looked at Stephanie from behind the glass.  He had installed some of that two way mirror that they have in police interrogation rooms.  Robbie could see her but she couldn’t see him.  Then looking at his clock, Robbie went to his orange fuzzy chair and went to sleep. 

          Sportacus moved all around LazyTown.  The crystal continued to beep but he couldn’t pinpoint who was in trouble.  Trixie, Stingy, Ziggy, and Pixel were at home.  Mayor Meanswell was over at Bessie’s.  He was talking to Bessie about Stephanie.  Then it dawned on him that Stephanie was missing. 

          Stephanie couldn’t figure out what to do.  Captured by a dinosaur, trapped in a strange place, and completely drained, Stephanie fell asleep.  She didn’t hear Sportacus shouting her name above her. 

          Sportacus was running around shouting her name.  When he got no response, he didn’t know what to do.  Then he noticed something strange.  He stood near the mailbox and his crystal was going crazy.  However when he moved away from the mailbox, his crystal quieted down.  Sportacus quickly checked inside the mailbox and found nothing.  Looking all around the mailbox he noticed a little button.  He poked the button and there was a loud _WHOOSH_.  When Sportacus heard that he moved the mailbox and found a hole in the ground.  Without thinking he jumped down the hole. 

          Sportacus came flying out of the tube and landed on Stephanie.  She let out a cry of pain.  Quickly he got off of her. 

          “Stephanie!  Are you ok?”  Sportacus said.  Stephanie grabbed her side.  He could see the look of pain on her face as she answered him. 

          “I don’t think so.”  She said, wincing.  Quickly Sportacus looked for a way out.  Seeing only the glass, Sportacus kicked at the glass with his powerful legs.                                                      


	10. Chapter 10

The glass shattered all over the place.  Quickly Sportacus shielded Stephanie from the shards.  Stephanie looked into his eyes and saw nothing but concern.  He scooped her up and carefully got out of their holding cell. 

          Robbie heard the commotion and ran over to see what was going on.  Upon Sportacus carrying Stephanie, Robbie made a break for it.  Tripping over himself, Robbie landed hard on the ground.  Sportacus gave him a look and mouthed the words; _I’ll be back for you later_. 

          Sportacus asked Stephanie how she was doing and she replied that her side was killing her.  He got them out of Robbie’s lair and quickly headed to Dr. Feels Good’s office. 

It was now nine-thirty and the doctor was surprised to hear someone pounding on his door.  When he saw Sportacus holding Stephanie he ushered them into his office immediately.  Sportacus set Stephanie down carefully on the exam table. 

          “Where does it hurt, Stephanie?”  Dr. Feels Good asked.  Stephanie pointed to her side and the doctor looked at it.  A large purple bruise was forming and Dr. Feels Good felt around for any broken ribs.  Stephanie was trying to be brave but she was in a lot of pain.  Sportacus held her and she squeezed it hard.  Surprised by her grip, Sportacus winced.  Satisfied that she hadn’t broken any ribs the doctor feared that maybe she bruised one of her internal organs.  He asked to see Sportacus outside for a minute. 

          “It’s possible she may have bruised an organ.  But I can’t test for that here.  Stephanie needs to be taken to FunTown’s hospital.”  Dr. Feels Good explained.  Sportacus didn’t say a word but ran back to Stephanie.  He scooped her up and went to his airship. 

          “Hold on tight Stephanie.  I’m going to climb the ladder.  Everything is going to be all right.”  Sportacus told her.  Stephanie wrapped her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist.  She gasped in pain.  Moving her right leg hurt because of the bruise.  Sportacus brought her to his bed, laid her down, and jumped into his control center.  Pedaling quickly he got to FunTown’s hospital in seven and a half minutes. 

Swiftly he climbed down the ladder with Stephanie and carried her through the emergency room doors.  One of the nurses ran over immediately and another called for a doctor.  Dr. Feels Good had called ahead to tell them about Stephanie’s arrival.  The nurses carefully grabbed Stephanie and wheeled her to the exam room.  They told Sportacus to wait in the waiting room. 

He didn’t know what to do with himself while waiting.  He couldn’t sit still.  Sportacus paced the floor, did pushups using the arms of a chair like the ground (you know like when he lifts his whole body with just his arms), and did some more pacing.  The nurse sitting at the desk was amused to see Sportacus doing all that.  She giggled softly and Sportacus looked up from his pacing.  He blushed and tried to sit down. 

The doctor came into the waiting room and went over to Sportacus. 

“It’s good to see you again, Sportacus.  I just wished it was under better circumstances.”  Dr. Rottenstein said.

          “It’s good to see you too, doctor.  How is Stephanie?”  Sportacus asked, concerned.  

          “Stephanie will be fine.  What she has is a deep tissue bruise.  It should only take a few days of rest and putting ice on it, to heal.  In fact you can take her home tonight.  I’ll have a nurse bring her out in a few minutes.”  The doctor told him.  Sportacus was relieved at this good news and shook the doctor’s hand firmly, a little too firmly.  The doctor grimaced and went to get the nurse and some X-rays for his fingers.             

          Soon a nurse wheeled Stephanie out in a wheelchair and Sportacus thanked the nurse.  Stephanie was about to pass out.  The past three days had been very hard on her.  Seeing her that tired, Sportacus lifted her out of the wheelchair and carried her back to his airship. 

          Once inside his airship, he laid her down on the bed again and headed back to LazyTown.  They reached LazyTown and quickly Sportacus whisked her off to her room.  Mayor Meanswell was sitting in the kitchen when they came through the door.  Sportacus promised to explain everything in a few minutes. 

          Once he got upstairs, Sportacus noticed that Mayor Meanswell had cleaned up Stephanie’s room.  It no longer smelled of sweat and there were clean sheets on the bed.  Laying Stephanie down, he told her to get some sleep and that he would be right back.   

          Stephanie needed no urging.  Completely drained physically, emotionally, and mentally, Stephanie drifted off into dreamland the instant her head hit the pillow.  Sportacus smiled and went downstairs to talk with the Mayor.        


	11. Chapter 11

Sportacus explained everything to the Mayor.  He left out the part about Stephanie’s nightmare.  The Mayor was relieved that Stephanie would be ok and that she was getting some sleep.  Mayor Meanswell saw Sportacus’ eyelids droop and he suggested that Sportacus spend the night.  Sportacus didn’t argue.  The Mayor said he could sleep in the guest room. 

          Then the two men said good night and went to bed.  Sportacus curled up under the covers in the guest room.  He, too, was drained form the past few days.  It seemed as though he had just fallen asleep when a scream shook the house.

          Jumping out of bed Sportacus ran upstairs.  The screaming was once again coming from Stephanie’s room.  He flung open her door and was at her side immediately.  She wasn’t awake from what he could tell but she was screaming and throwing punches in the air.  Sportacus grabbed her arms and pulled them down.  Then he put his arms around her and she calmed down.  Sportacus could see tears streaming down her face. 

          “Shh, shh, it’s ok Stephanie.  I’m here.”  She calmed down a little but she continued to cry.  Sportacus tried something else to calm her down.  Softly he began to sing to her.

“Let me be your hero  
would you dance  
If I asked you to dance?  
Would you run  
And never look back?  
Would you cry  
If you saw me crying?  
And would you save my soul, tonight?  
  
…I can be your hero, baby.  
I can kiss away the pain.  
I will stand by you forever.  
You can take my breath away.  
  
Would you swear  
That you'll always be mine?  
Or would you lie?    
Would you run and hide?  
Am I in too deep?  
Have I lost my mind?  
I don't care...   
You're here tonight.    
   
…  Oh, I just want to hold you.  
I just want to hold you.  
Am I in too deep?    
Have I lost my mind?  
Well I don't care...  
You're here tonight…”

When he finished Stephanie had stopped crying.  She had even snuggled up to Sportacus’ chest.  He held on to her and promised to never let anything hurt her, ever. 

            Stephanie spent the rest of the night in Sportacus’ arms.  When the sun came up, Stephanie woke up and found Sportacus holding onto her.  She didn’t remember what had happened last night or how she ended up in Sportacus’ arms but she didn’t care.  She kissed his cheek and Sportacus’ eyes opened up.

          “Good morning, Sportacus.  Care to explain something to me?”  Stephanie asked him. 

“Of course, anything for you.  What needs explaining?”  Sportacus asked, cautiously.

          “First, how did we end up like this?  Second, are we still friends?  And third, if so where do we stand?”  Stephanie asked. 

          “Well, first after bringing you home and explaining everything to your Uncle, he let me stay in the guest room.  I heard you screaming and came upstairs.  I calmed you down and we ended up sleeping this way.  We were both exhausted from the last few days so I imagine it wasn’t that hard to fall asleep.  Second, yes of course we are still friends.  Third, I have no idea where we stand.”  Sportacus smiled. 

          “What I said to you a couple of days ago, I didn’t mean.  I never want you to leave me alone ever.  I’m sorry if I hurt you.”  Stephanie said.

          “It’s all right Stephanie.  I know you didn’t mean it.  I’m sorry for landing on top of you.  How does your side feel anyway?”  Sportacus asked. 

          “Well it still hurts but I think I’ll live besides I have you to help me get better.  As far as where we stand, I want to be with you all the time.  I don’t ever want to be apart.  I love you, no matter what.”  Stephanie spilled.  Sportacus looked into her eyes and saw that she really meant it.

          “I love you, too, and that’s why you have to tell me what’s going on.  Why was I the one in the dinosaur costume?”  Sportacus asked her.               


	12. Chapter 12

Stephanie looked into his Icelandic baby blues.  They were begging her to tell him the truth.  But she didn’t really know what the truth was.

          “I don’t know why you were in the costume.  You wouldn’t chase me and you know that whole dinosaur incident scared me so why it was you, I can’t give you a good answer.”  Stephanie said. 

          “Maybe we are rushing into this whole relationship.  I mean when we confessed our feelings to each other maybe it was too fast.  I don’t want to rush you.  I’ll always be here for you and I will always love you, but you need to figure out what you want.  The dinosaur chasing you could be your fear of me holding onto you and you never getting the chance to be with anyone else.”  Sportacus reasoned.  He lifted her chin with his hand so that her eyes were looking into his.  He could see the uncertainty in her eyes.  But then her expression changed.  She smiled and pulled him close.  She watched his neatly trimmed moustache twitch.  Then she kissed him.  His hands moved to her waist and pulled her closer.  Stephanie broke the kiss as Sportacus accidentally touched her bruise.

          “Ow.”  She cried softly.

          “I’m so sorry, Stephanie.”  Sportacus said quickly letting go of her.

          “It’s ok.  Just promise me something Sportacus.”  Stephanie said climbing onto his lap.

          “Anything for you, my dear.”  He answered. 

          “Promise me you’ll never let go.  No matter what happens never let go of what we have.”  Stephanie pleaded with him.  Sportacus picked up her hands and kissed them.

          “I promise, Stephanie.  I’ll never let go.”  Sportacus promised.  The two hugged and then there was a knock on the door. 

“Stephanie, can I come in?”  It was Uncle Milford.  Quickly the two scrambled around and Sportacus climbed out the window and down the trellis. 

“Sure Uncle Milford.”  Stephanie called.  He entered the room. 

“Is everything all right?  How are you feeling?”  Uncle Milford asked.

“Everything is just peachy.  My bruise hurts a little but after I take a shower, I’ll feel better.  Don’t worry so much.”  Stephanie said, smiling.

“I have to go to Town Hall for a little while.  I was going to ask Sportacus to keep an eye on you, is that ok?”  Mayor Meanswell asked.  Stephanie tried to hide her excitement. 

“That’s fine with me.  Good luck at the office today, Uncle.”  Stephanie said.  Uncle Milford said goodbye and went downstairs.  Stephanie got out of bed and went to take a shower. 

Milford found Sportacus in the guest room.  Pretending to just have woken up, Sportacus rubbed his eyes.  The Mayor asked if he could stay with Stephanie until he got back from Town Hall.  Sportacus accepted with one exception.  That he got to go clean up in his airship.  Milford agreed and Sportacus left. 

He was back in about ten minutes.  Sportacus was holding a clean blue uniform.  Mayor Meanswell thanked him and left for Town Hall.  Sportacus went upstairs. 

Stephanie, wrapped in a towel, left the bathroom.  She didn’t see Sportacus, standing in the hallway.  Then as she was shaking the water out of her ears, she noticed him standing in the hallway.  She blushed and ducked into her room and closed the door.  Stephanie was going to give him an earful when she got out but as she left her room she heard the shower running. 

Quietly she waited until she heard the shower shut off.  Then the bathroom door opened.  Sportacus came out with a towel around his waist.   

          “Looking for something?”  Stephanie teased.  She was holding Sportacus’ clean uniform in her hands.        


	13. Chapter 13

Stephanie stood there smiling as Sportacus moved toward her.  She just absorbed everything she saw before her.  The last time she had been too busy looking at his wavy dirty blond hair but this time there were other things to focus on.  Sportacus’ abs, chest, arms, and then her eyes wondered down (Remember he still has a towel on, ladies).  Then his strong arms grabbed his uniform from her.

          “We have to stop meeting like this, Stephanie.”  Sportacus cracked. 

          “Oh I don’t know.  It’s only fair after you saw me in a towel; I should get to see you in a towel.”  Stephanie said, grinning from ear to ear.  Sportacus laughed and ducked back into the bathroom.  He was out in two minutes.  Completely dressed and ready for the day. 

          “Its time for you to ice that bruise Stephanie.  Come on downstairs.”  Sportacus told her.  Stephanie followed him downstairs.  Handing her an ice pack, Sportacus made her some breakfast. 

          They ate together and decided what they were going to do.  Sportacus reminded her that Dr. Rottenstein had told her to rest and ice the bruise.  Stephanie said she didn’t want to spend the whole day inside.  Sportacus suggested sitting out on a park bench and having her friends hang out there with her.  Stephanie liked that idea.  Then they heard a knock on the door.

          Sportacus answered it.  Trixie, Pixel, Ziggy, and Stingy were standing outside. 

          “Hi guys!  Come on in.”  Sportacus smiled.  The kids looked like someone had rained on their parade.  Trixie was the first one to say something.

          “Sportacus is Stephanie better?  Are you and her going to come out today?”  She asked.

          “Yes everything is back to normal.  Well almost.  Stephanie will be able to play tomorrow.”  Sportacus said.

          “Why can’t she play today?”  Ziggy asked.  Sportacus explained that she had a nasty bruise from falling out of bed.  She had to ice it until tomorrow.  He didn’t mention anything about the nightmare, Robbie, or landing on top of her.  He felt it wasn’t necessary to go into all that detail.  Stephanie came over to them and everyone’s faces brightened. 

          “Let’s go play!”  Pixel shouted.  The five friends went out to the sports field.  Sportacus smiled and promised to be by in a little while.  He had something he had to do before he could play.     

Robbie woke up from his fitful night sleep.  All he kept remembering was those words Sportacus mouthed to him.  _I’ll be back for you later._ Then Sportacus came out of the tube leading into Robbie’s hideout.

          Robbie gasped as Sportacus landed in front of him.

          “Robbie we need to talk.”  He could tell that Sportacus wasn’t in the mood for kidding around. 

          “Listen Robbie, I’ve been here for six years.  In those six years you’ve tried everything from hitting me with soccer balls, creating doubles of me, and trapping me in your lair.  Up until now I’ve been very forgiving but when you put Stephanie in danger that is where I draw the line.  I’ve tried to talk to you, put you in jail, make you do community service, and yet you continue to try to cause trouble.  So how am I going to make you understand not to mess with me or anyone else in LazyTown?”  Sportacus said, angrily.  


	14. Chapter 14

Stephanie was keeping score as her friends were playing basketball.  Ziggy and Stingy had scored fourteen points.  Pixel and Trixie had scored sixteen points.  Stephanie was trying to focus on the game but her thoughts kept drifting back to last night.  The dinosaur had once again been chasing her but when he tried to grab her she actually was fighting back.  She had managed to get in some good punches.  It had made her feel better and then she remembered hearing someone singing.  _That must have been Sportacus_ , she thought.  She was broken out of her reverie by someone shouting her name.

          She came back to reality just in time to see the basketball heading for her face.  Stephanie just sat there.  She didn’t react before the ball got to her.  The ball was two inches from her face when suddenly it stopped.  Sportacus had grabbed the ball just in time. 

          “Stephanie, are you ok?”  Sportacus asked.

          “Yeah, thank you Sportacus.”  Stephanie answered. 

          “You must be more careful next time, Stephanie.  Basketball is all about paying attention.”  He smiled. 

          “Are you going to play with us now, Sportacus?”  Ziggy asked. 

          “Of course, but first I think we all could use some sportscandy.  Apple!”  He shouted.  Everyone enjoyed their apples. 

          “How about we play some catch?”  Trixie suggested.  They enjoyed playing that for awhile until Ziggy’s tummy rumbled. 

          “My tummy says its time for lunch.”  With that Ziggy ran home for lunch.  Pixel, Trixie, and Stingy said they had to go home for lunch too.  Sportacus said they would catch up later.  He and Stephanie walked back to Mayor Meanswell’s house for lunch.       

Uncle Milford still wasn’t back from Town Hall.  So Stephanie and Sportacus dug around in the cupboards and refrigerator for something to eat.  Stephanie found some applesauce in the cupboard and Sportacus found some jelly in the fridge.  Grabbing the peanut butter and some bread off the counter Sportacus made some peanut better and jelly sandwiches.  Stephanie got out some plates and spoons and they enjoyed there lunch together.

          “I wonder what’s keeping Uncle Milford.”  Stephanie said.  Sportacus shrugged his shoulders.

          Bessie was what was keeping Uncle Milford.  The two of them hadn’t been apart all morning.  Literally.  If they weren’t kissing they were holding hands and ogling over each other.  Then Milford realized what time it was. 

          “I have to go home to see how Stephanie is doing.  I’ll see you tonight, Bessie.” 

          “Ok, I’ll see you at my house at seven.”  Bessie smiled.  The Mayor promised and went home. 

          Sportacus saw Mayor Meanswell coming towards the house.  At least he assumed it was the Mayor.  Someone was skipping down the street and they had some red stuff on their face.  Sportacus met the Mayor outside. 

          “You might want to wash your face, Mayor.”  Sportacus said, trying to hold back his laughter.  Mayor Meanswell’s face was covered in Bessie’s red lipstick.  Sportacus handed him a washcloth and Milford cleaned up his face.  Then he joined Stephanie and Sportacus for lunch.

          Robbie sat in his chair with a disgusted look on his face.  He would be picking the apple out of his teeth for the next few days.  Sportacus had proved his point when he stuffed that apple in Robbie’s mouth.  Then he filled Robbie’s cupboards with sportscandy.  Robbie didn’t know how he was going to get rid of all of that healthy stuff.


	15. Chapter 15

Uncle Milford left for Bessie’s at 6:45 that night.  It didn’t take fifteen minutes to walk to Bessie’s house but Uncle Milford didn’t want to be late.  He and Stephanie had already eaten dinner and she was resting on the couch reading one of her favorite books.  Her bruise was looking better and she was feeling better.  At the end of the chapter, she got up and put the ice pack back into the freezer and looked at the clock.  It was nine o’clock already and Uncle Milford wasn’t back yet.  Stephanie locked the front door and shut the lights off downstairs.  She climbed the stairs and went into her room.  Picking out some pajamas she went across the hall to the bathroom.  When she finished washing up and changing her clothes she turned on her radio and laid in bed. 

          Stephanie didn’t feel like sleeping but sometimes laying in bed and listening to the radio helped.  Since she had discussed the nightmare with Sportacus, she wasn’t afraid to fall asleep.  Then a good song came on the radio and she started to sing along.

“Where have all the good men gone and where are all the gods?   
Where's the streetwise Hercules to fight the rising odds?    
Isn't there a white knight upon a fiery steed?   
Late at night I toss and I turn and I dream of what I need   
  
I need a hero   
I'm holding out for a hero till the end of the night   
he's gotta be strong and he's gotta be fast   
and he's gotta be fresh from the fight   
I need a hero   
I'm holding out for a hero till the morning light   
He's gotta be sure and he's gotta be soon   
And he's gotta be larger than life   
Larger than life   
  
Somewhere after midnight   
In my wildest fantasies   
Somewhere just beyond my reach   
There's someone reaching back for me   
Racing on the thunder and rising with the heat   
It's gonna take a Superman to sweep me off my feet   
  
I need a hero   
I'm holding out for a hero till the end of the night   
he's gotta be strong and he's gotta be fast   
and he's gotta be fresh from the fight   
I need a hero   
I'm holding out for a hero till the morning light   
He's gotta be sure and he's gotta be soon   
And he's gotta be larger than life   
Larger than life   
  
Up where the mountains meet the heavens above   
Out where the lightning strikes the sea   
I would swear that there's someone somewhere watching me   
Through the wind and the chill and the rain   
and the storm and the flood   
I can feel his approach like a fire in my blood   
  
I need a hero   
I'm holding out for a hero till the end of the night   
he's gotta be strong and he's gotta be fast   
and he's gotta be fresh from the fight   
I need a hero   
I'm holding out for a hero till the morning light   
He's gotta be sure and he's gotta be soon   
And he's gotta be larger than life   
Larger than life”

Then Stephanie heard a noise outside as the song finished.  She got up and went over to the window and came face to face with Sportacus. 

          “You rang?”  He asked smiling as Stephanie helped him in off the trellis.

          “I did?”  She had a confused look on her face. 

          “I heard you singing along with that song and thought you might need some company.”  Sportacus explained brushing off the dirt into the garbage can. 

          “I thought above average heroes had to go to bed early.  It’s almost nine thirty aren’t you past your bedtime?”  She teased. 

          “Well then if you don’t want me here I’ll go.”  Sportacus said, pretending to be hurt.  Stephanie smiled and threw her arms around him. 

          “If I had my way you’d never leave me.”  She told Sportacus.  He blushed and held her in his arms.  Then the two of them sat down on Stephanie’s bad and talked until Stephanie’s eyes began to droop.  Sportacus leaned over to kiss her goodnight.  As he did she took his face in her hands and looked him straight in the eyes.  The piercing Icelandic baby blues showed some confusion as she pressed her lips to his.  All their kisses had been little polite ones but not this time.  As first Sportacus held back, not sure what he should do.  Stephanie began to pull away at his reluctance.  However, he had made up his mind.  Sportacus pulled her close and there was no holding back.  Neither one of them.  They feasted on each other’s lips and played a little tonsil hockey.  When they parted both were out of breath. 

          “I love you.”  Stephanie gasped. 

          “And I love you, my dear Stephanie.  Good night.”  Sportacus tucked her in, kissed her forehead, and climbed back down the trellis.  Stephanie went to sleep with a big smile on her face and in her heart. 

**The End**


End file.
